However, its feature-set and physical quality dont reflect how this players been priced.
Very few of thebest turntableson the market boast anything like the feature-set this deck aims to deliver.
The Victrola Stream Sapphire’s convenience, particularly in tech-forward households, is plain to see.
What isnt, however, is quite how this convenience commands a four-figure price point.
Meanwhile, a noisily starting platter, flabby tonearm lift and sharp front plate indicate quality control issues.
The Victrola Stream Sapphire is, quite frankly, a bit of a disappointment.
The biggest difference, though, is in its wirelessness.
And all this, of course, in glorious 24-bit/48kHz.
Via RCA, the Stream Sapphire sounds excellent.
Indeed, its a rare turntable that lays bare the shortcomings of my own austere living room hi-fi.
The preamp is good, though, and handles the wide dynamic range of PilesAll Fictionincredibly well.
Its refreshing to listen to records and not be immediately hit by some shortfall in EQ.
To clumsily borrow a phrase from the Super Smash Bros. lexicon: everyone is here!
It’s not all praise.
I need to pull the Stream Sapphire up on some slight overcorrection in places.
Plaids wubbie low-end can sometimes overwhelm, and sometimes airier treble moments can build up to excess.
Wirelessly, the Stream Sapphire sounds as good as its specs promise when it works.
The Sonos connection is prone to skipping, i.e.
losing connectivity, even when latency and performance prefs are set with performance over fidelity in mind.
But here’s where the wheels come off a bit.
This lack of feedback is a patience killer.
Theres even a slider for knob illumination, from which you may derive as much mirth as youd like.
The turntable also features the same tonearm assembly as its siblings.
VTA isnt the be-all-end-all that some would claim, but it should be something youre empowered to adjust yourself.
But do these grand designs translate to cold, hard value?
In this writers opinion: no.
The aluminium front panel was also burred enough in some places to catch my fingers.
The similarities between this and its budget counterparts are many, and there are even some features conspicuously missing.
Should you buy the Victrola Stream Sapphire?
You value convenience more than moneySetting up a cohesive at-home digital audio-streaming web connection isnt easy.
The RCA outputs fed my dependable Cambridge Audio Azur 540R amplifier and Celestion F1 bookshelf speakers.
First reviewed: October 2024
